Corrupted File
by Kaleidoscope Glass
Summary: These conditions are not ideal for entering a new universe. ((Upd8 theory fanfic))


One cannot look into the intricate mechanisms of time and emerge unscathed.

It was hard to tell exactly when he had snapped. After throwing away his first doomed clone and watching it dissolve in the acid lava while his own blood dripped from his hands? Or maybe it was when he himself died, emerging in a blaze of glory that destroyed two universes.

Of course, there was always the off chance that when he died after encountering what used to be Jade with radioactive plasma crackling around her, the stardust did its work and twisted itself around his very coding. His revival was corrupted, and the result was a mere mockery of Dave Strider. Perhaps as a worker of the continued progress of existence, the Lord of Time had special influence over him.

Well, that would be silly. Surely it was only a coincidence that he knew where Karkat and Kanaya were without either of them divulging information. It had to be a stroke of luck when he knew that John was missing without anymore informing him.

Pure chance.

* * *

Luck is so often associated with light and purity and good, when it is rather the opposite.

It is a risky gamble, a dance with death and horrors worse than any mortal mind can imagine. There is an infinite amount of ways the threads can be spun, and the odds are never fifty-fifty.

So when could she have been lost? When the Horrorterrors first wrapped their long-reaching limbs around her and kept her close in their grip? When her blood watered the destruction of two vast existences? The two are very likely. In a fraction of possibilities, luck would have been on their side.

Of course, there was always the slightest chance that in this one, the same exact thing that happened to the Knight happened to her. Their universe was glitched, a corrupted file with unsuspecting viruses just waiting to be downloaded. And awakened they were – into the fragile body of Rose Lalonde.

However, luck could not always be for the worse, could it? No, fate could not be so cruel. Destiny may have its crooked twists and turns, but this was the alpha timeline, the one with the best chances of survival. It could not be so. It was only a great favor from fate that she sobered up so quickly.

She was the Seer of Light, after all. It would only be logical that luck would be on her side.

* * *

Ah, the Heir.

He had disappeared. That, we know. However, we do not know why and how.

Perhaps he decided to be a hero and attempt to get the poisonous power out of their universe. Maybe it was just the simple fact that nobody was with him on his dark, windy planet.

There was a third possibility - that he had been captured and tortured, the horrible Witch attempting to bring out the small part of him that was red and white, the part that swore loyalty to her. A possibility that even John Egbert, upon his disappearance, would be molded and transformed into nothing more than a mere soldier that followed every order, who was at Her beck and call.

However, that possibility was simply too horrible to bear. Surely he was alright - for he is the hero, the one who always makes it out of the end of the story. Why, he could never be caught in such a way.

* * *

And we all know that the Witch's past is currently unavailable.

Now, we are left with possessions and fake identities and puppeteering and mind-controlling. Oh, how quickly our merry band of friends have fallen apart.

* * *

**A/N: Upd8 fanfic based off of this: http( :) / /signalboob . tumblr post/52968046691/my-dash-is-hypothesizing-and-i-do nt-like-its**

**and http(:) / /eridannyarnpora . /post/52932644789/**

**so-im-pretty-sure-everyone-by-now-has-noticed**

**and I made a masterpost of what we know/theories: storykind . tumblr post/53096475319/what-we-know-so-far**

**The Hiatus is over and the game is glitching. I'm getting mixed messages here, Hussie. :P**

**Except some more theory fics! These things are the most fun to write! :DD**

**((Also, concerning Escaping on Broken Wings – another chapter IS in the works. I'm just trying to get myself much more familiar with the workings of Cirque du Freak. :P))**

**I hope you enjoyed, and all criticism is appreciated! **

**-Joanne**


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